登陆注册
5371300000074

第74章

Apaecides had not yet adopted formally the Christian faith, but he was already on the brink of it. He already participated the doctrines of Olinthus--he already imagined that the lively imaginations of the heathen were the suggestions of the arch-enemy of mankind. The innocent and natural answer of Ione made him shudder. He hastened to reply vehemently, and yet so confusedly, that Ione feared for his reason more than she dreaded his violence.

'Ah, my brother!' said she, 'these hard duties of thine have shattered thy very sense. Come to me, Apaecides, my brother, my own brother; give me thy hand, let me wipe the dew from thy brow--chide me not now, I understand thee not; think only that Ione could not offend thee!'

'Ione,' said Apaecides, drawing her towards him, and regarding her tenderly, 'can I think that this beautiful form, this kind heart, may be destined to an eternity of torment?'

'Dii meliora! the gods forbid!' said Ione, in the customary form of words by which her contemporaries thought an omen might be averted.

The words, and still more the superstition they implied, wounded the ear of Apaecides. He rose, muttering to himself, turned from the chamber, then, stopping, half way, gazed wistfully on Ione, and extended his arms.

Ione flew to them in joy; he kissed her earnestly, and then he said:

'Farewell, my sister! when we next meet, thou mayst be to me as nothing;take thou, then, this embrace--full yet of all the tender reminiscences of childhood, when faith and hope, creeds, customs, interests, objects, were the same to us. Now, the tie is to be broken!'

With these strange words he left the house.

The great and severest trial of the primitive Christians was indeed this;their conversion separated them from their dearest bonds. They could not associate with beings whose commonest actions, whose commonest forms of speech, were impregnated with idolatry. They shuddered at the blessing of love, to their ears it was uttered in a demon's name. This, their misfortune, was their strength; if it divided them from the rest of the world, it was to unite them proportionally to each other. They were men of iron who wrought forth the Word of God, and verily the bonds that bound them were of iron also!

Glaucus found Ione in tears; he had already assumed the sweet privilege to console. He drew from her a recital of her interview with her brother; but in her confused account of language, itself so confused to one not prepared for it, he was equally at a loss with Ione to conceive the intentions or the meaning of Apaecides.

'Hast thou ever heard much,' asked she, 'of this new sect of the Nazarenes, of which my brother spoke?'

同类推荐
  • 吹剑录外集

    吹剑录外集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 太虛心淵篇

    太虛心淵篇

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 秋灯琐忆

    秋灯琐忆

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 七国春秋平话

    七国春秋平话

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 真龙虎九仙经

    真龙虎九仙经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 讽刺故事

    讽刺故事

    无数事实、经验和理性已经证明:好故事可以影响人的一生。而以我们之见,所谓好故事,在内容上讲述的应是做人与处世的道理,在形式上也应听得进、记得住、讲得出、传得开,而且不会因时代的变迁而失去她的本质特征和艺术光彩。为了让更多的读者走进好故事,阅读好故事,欣赏好故事,珍藏好故事,传播好故事,我们特编选了一套“故事会5元精品系列”以飨之。其选择标准主要有以下三点:一、在《故事会》杂志上发表的作品。二、有过目不忘的艺术感染力。三、有恒久的趣味,对今天的读者仍有启迪作用。愿好故事伴随你的一生!
  • 末天九杀

    末天九杀

    我们居住的地球没有想象的那么简单,里面隐藏着七层空间,每层空间都有一个傲世天地的存在。他,生在最原始的空间,在这个不可思议的世界里一切似乎不符合规律,因为懦弱他将尝试着征服天地,让所有空间都向他臣服。
  • 两汉时期的生存法则

    两汉时期的生存法则

    楚汉相争,为何最终刘邦坐拥天下?指挥千军万马尚游刃有余的韩信,竟死在一个女人之手!两朝栋梁的周亚夫,为何落了个”不反地上,亦反地下”的罪名?书生难开国,草莽却成英雄,这又是什么道理?作为中国最具代表性的时代,两汉历史蕴藏了无尽的智慧,其中有关谋略、有关人性、有关处世……
  • 墓影妖踪

    墓影妖踪

    一个灵异作家,为了自己的作品素材,进入那诡异难测的地下世界。开启新一轮的恐怖之旅。我叫宋华宇。我是盗墓人。
  • 道教简史

    道教简史

    本书分十四章,以时间为序,介绍了道教出现的基础和背景,探讨了从汉至清道教的发展变化及各时期的特点,简明扼要地勾勒了中国道教的发展历史,深入浅出,雅俗共赏。其中,作者对道家与道教的关系、道教起源等诸多问题有独到的见解,资料详尽,有理有据,极具说服力。
  • 佛说尼拘陀梵志经

    佛说尼拘陀梵志经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 天价前妻

    天价前妻

    嫁入豪门?母凭子贵?她从来不知道自己的男人,身为自己孩子父亲的他,竟然如此的狠绝冷酷,一切不过是一个无情的骗局而已,他需要的是她孩子的脐带血,然后去救自己深爱的女人,而她竟然那么傻的走入了他温柔的婚约陷阱里,被伤的体无完肤,鲜血淋漓。手术室里,他冷酷的让医生取走了脐带血,不理会手术台上,生死线上徘徊的母子,只留下冰冷的背影。七年之后。机场,一个清瘦的身影和一个酷酷面容的小男孩同时走出了机场,阔别七年的城市,终于归来了…
  • 推求师意

    推求师意

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 咫尺江湖

    咫尺江湖

    她虽孤身一人,却武艺高强,又善于伪装,因而在江湖闯荡也过得快活潇洒。只是时而碰到些烦人的事,有的可以轻松躲过,而有的……“什么破王爷啊!怎么那么小气啊,拿你点银子怎么啦?你不还一直抢我玉佩来着!”“那玉佩本来就是本王的!你头偷本王的东西还有理了!来人啊,给本王抓住她!”“哎,姑娘不会不记得在下了吧。你借过我五两银子啊。”“我的天啊!怎么又是你这个呆瓜啊!”“哎,姑娘别跑啊!你的五两银子不要啦?”“哈哈哈哈哈……哈哈哈哈……”“你笑够了没有……”“没有。哈哈哈哈哈……哈哈哈哈……”“你个神经病找打!”“哎,别打脸啊!疼啊!我不笑了行不行,救命啊!”
  • 净土

    净土

    小说以近百年前的武汉为背景,讲述古琴世家的莫氏三兄妹失散多年,流落市井,分别为弘扬佛法,传承琴技而引发的两代人的爱恨情仇。小说塑造了两代弄琴人的丰满形象,将他们刻骨铭心的爱、哀怨悲切的情以及日军铁蹄践踏下的国仇家恨,与博大深宏的佛法融汇成一曲沧桑的时代悲歌。以武汉为缩影,再现了上世纪三四十年代整个中华大地的命运与抗争。小说文笔优美,情节感人。